I met Dr. Mohammad Subeh in the Good Samaritan Hospital lobby, just after he returned from the HCA Healthcare Inc. headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee, where he’d traveled to receive the Frist Humanitarian Award. This award was created in 1971 and named after HCA’s co-founder Dr. Thomas F. Frist Sr.
Dr. Subeh was honored alongside one employee and one volunteer recipient, chosen from more than 310,000 colleagues and affiliated physicians nationwide. This humanitarian award is the most prestigious honor bestowed by HCA Healthcare.
“I think that my draw to medicine began at a young age. I grew up in Los Angeles, in an unincorporated area of East Los Angeles—growing up with parents who had lots of chronic medical conditions and finding difficult access to medical care,” Dr. Subeh began.
Going on he stated, “one of the things that always was inspirational for me was, while attending elementary school, seeing the helicopters land at a nearby hospital. It’s like, I definitely want to do what those folks are doing on that helicopter.”
Last year Dr. Subeh spent three months in Gaza and Lebanon. In an online interview he stated, “During my time in Gaza and Lebanon, about 60% of my patients that came in with traumatic injuries were children.” Sarah Lai Stirland’s March 2024 article in the Los Gatan mentioned “the team Dr. Subeh was part of in Gaza treated approximately 700-800 patients a day (including about 40 surgeries and delivering about 10-20 babies)—a routine physician averages around 170 patients on a normal day.” Dr. Subeh also has a clinic in the Caribbean.
A humble Thank You
Dr. Subeh stated in a release, “I thank my grandparents, who were forcibly expelled from their home in 1948 and taught me resilience and perseverance, I want to thank my parents, who weathered the storms of war and showed me how to start anew as refugees in the United States; and my wife and children, who ground me every day. I could not do what I do without the compassionate ER staff at Good Samaritan Hospital, who take care of people in their most difficult times. Finally, I dedicate this award to my true heroes—my colleagues in Gaza, who continue to provide lifesaving care with little to no resources, often at great personal risk. They are the beacons of light that give me hope for humanity.”
Back at Good Sam
Dr. Subeh is the sort of person who makes a big impression on you.
“I think that, ultimately, all the people you work with—that have a shared vision and a focus on excellence and delivering patient care, and looking to learn and innovate—are the big draws here,” he reflected. “But ultimately, it is the people that you work with.”
Going on he said, “This is an exciting time as technologies are in the pipeline.”
He described a scenario where robots acting as scribes collecting information from patients.
“AI doing the busy work allows us to connect with our patients better and do our jobs a lot better,” he said.
While interviewing Dr. Subeh, I casually mentioned a recent family health “scare.” He immediately went into “doctor mode” and began asking me questions about care. The humanitarian inside him shone through, and I found myself relieved that—even in an interview with a local news reporter—this caring trait emerges.
“Outside of caring for patients in the emergency department at Good Samaritan Hospital, Dr. Mohammad Subeh volunteers his medical expertise in crisis zones around the world,” HCA Healthcare states on its website. “He has provided lifesaving care to trauma victims, children and families in devastated communities. His dedication to serving others worldwide inspires his colleagues, and, whether in San Jose, California or across the globe, Dr. Subeh offers compassion, courage and dignity to his patients. Through his unwavering commitment to care for those in greatest need, regardless of where they are or how difficult the circumstance, he embodies the spirit of the Frist Humanitarian Award.”
Patrick Rohan, CEO of Good Samaritan Hospital, said the hospital is honored to have Subeh on its roster.
“Whether in San Jose or halfway across the globe, Dr. Subeh offers his patients compassion, courage, and dignity,” Rohan said in the news release. “His unwavering commitment to caring for those in greatest need embodies the very spirit of the Frist Humanitarian Award.”
